Be Yourself

Be yourself, sounds so simple, yet so difficult to most of us. And when it comes to the lines of style and fashion, we follow this mantra even less so. Yes, it’s definitely fun to be creative and reinvent yourself sometimes with the latest trends that come off the runway, but sometimes you want yourself to shine through.

So you’re asking, am I “always” myself? Am I myself, every day? Definitely not. But I’m trying. Inspired recently by Meghan Markle in her oh so honest post I can’t help but try to invest a little more into myself. As many females (and males), I struggled with the confidence to be me. When I was in middle school and high school all I wanted was to fit in, and by that I mean standout in a way that made me seem “cool”. I tried blue contacts (imagine blue contacts on a brown eyed indian girl…no, just no), I tried to cut my own hair (because back then I wasn’t allowed yet), and I imagined I was someone else every day. Then college rolled around, and I thought, this is a chance to really be me. But I was still finding myself. I had no idea who I was, and who I wanted to be. I went from being pre-med to going to law school, to finally stumbling onto my mba and into digital marketing. It took years to get there, but I did.

And in all that time, I was still trying to be more comfortable in my own skin. Proving I was “enough” to myself. I tried many styles, many makeup trends, and never truly felt myself. I always wanted to cover up something, or be someone to someone else. Style was a way for me to be more than who I was. To be better. But what I am just starting to realize is…I was already enough.

My style was a piece of me:

My converse allow me to show my playful side.

My scarves allow me to be warm but also show my artistic side.

My eyeshadow allows me to be a little fierce when I want to be.

My blazer shows my conservativeness.

My skinny jeans show that I work out, and I am proud of that.

Now my style is me. A little piece of myself shows each day in what I choose to wear. I’m more confident in what I select because whether it’s showing off my playful or conservative side, I’m being “me” (or trying to). And yes, I still love to play a little pretend sometimes, because who doesn’t?